The Tenant 1976 Mise-en-Scene

 Kristin Langevin

Com126.01

Professor Saphire

23 October 2020

The Tenant

The 1976 horror film The Tenant by Roman Polanski displays the concept mise-en-scene throughout the entity of its screen time. Mise-en-scene is the precise use of physical placement and choice within a film, as well as settings applied to enable and evoke messages within a scene. The Tenant uses every aspect of mise-en-scene to craft a psychological thriller that flawlessly captures honest paranoia through nonverbals from start to finish. The main character, Trelkovsky, moves into a new apartment where a mysterious suicide took place not long before. As the film progresses, Trelkovsky unravels the mystery at the cost of his mental stability. One such scene that plays an important role in the overarching narrative is the uncovering of a possible sinister motive which marks the beginning of Trelkovsky’s decline. This scene uses design, lighting, composition, and kinesis to illustrate this collapse.

The scene consists of constant movement of the furniture inside of the character’s apartment. This expresses the feelings of paranoia and inconsistency that follows the character rapidly inside of this scene. When Trelkovsly approaches his wardrobe and pushes it forward, the mirror on the outside glides with it and creates a sensation of fear due to the unknown. Once it passes and lands securely on a painting of a woman, it is obvious that this apartment is more than what it seems. This subtle incorporation of composition and design aids in the progress of the film. It also assists the psychological and emotional setting of this moment in time. In fact, this scene connects to the film as a whole, since the apartment is the focal point of Trelkovsly’s conflict and deuteration. The buildup of suspense establishes that this apartment is going to take a toll on Trelkovsly’s wellbeing, and that there was more surrounding the suicide since previously thought.

This moment in the film is entirely lit by moonlight and a single lamp. This addition of soft light establishes an eerie feeling, knowing that something may occur sooner rather than later. The colors are smooth, not harsh, accomplished by the use of blue and green tones. Once Trelkovsly notices himself being watched, the moment is consumed in grey and precise additions of scattered lights. There is a lot of negative space on both sides of the eerie watcher that generates the need to look directly at her and notice her actions. She doesn’t move and so doesn’t the camera for an extended amount of time, further installing the emotion of paranoia and wonder.

Roman Polanski channels mise-en-scene to allow passage in the complexities in a psychological thriller. The Tenant uses lighting, composition, design, and kinesis to illustrate the deeper intricacies of the human conscious when presented with a fearful situation. The lighting is ominous, the composition is complex, the movement is anxious, and the design is a metaphor for the internals of the human subconscious. This film constantly has an anxiety ridden and foreboding power to it, which deeply connects to the arrangement of scenery. In conclusion, “The Tenant” is a powerful piece of cinema that perfectly engulfs the viewer into a nightmare state.